Cocaine Crack

Cocaine and Crack - Preferences

Virtually all crack users have also used powder cocaine, only around 20% of powder cocaine users have ever smoked crack.

Consolidated 1998/1999 data

Ever/Never used (drug)

Never used Crack

Ever used Crack

Totals:

Never used Cocaine

1519

11

1530

Ever used Cocaine

1381

309

1690

Totals:

2900

320

3220

Initiation to cocaine/crack

The graph below shows the relative rates of initiation (first use) of drugs by year, i.e. the ration of the number first using a particular drug, to the expected number based on age and average age at first use of respondents during a particular year. The relationship breaks down in the most recent 3 years due to the way the formula works (last updated with 1998 data), but shows higher than average rates of heroin initiation from 1974-84, and higher rates of crack initiation from 1989-95.

Attitudes to Crack & Cocaine (Subjective Ratings)

Respondents were asked to give drugs ratings (marks out of ten), with 10 being the most positive, and 0 the most negative response (5 being neutral). Attitudes towards both cocaine and crack had become generally more positive in 1999 compared to recent years, suggesting the drug to be gaining social acceptability among drug users.

Year

1994

1997

1998

1999

Cocaine

5.47

5.55

5.70

6.17

Crack

2.09

2.06

1.82

2.53

Effects of an arrest on attitudes towards, and use of cocaine/crack.

Those who had been arrested for drug offences gave significantly higher ratings for crack than those who had clean records.

Crack - effect of arrest on attitudes

Arrest

Cannabis

No

Yes

Totals

Other

No

1.87

2.59

2.03

drug

Yes

4.06

2.82

3.07

Totals

1.92

2.65

2.11

Drug Use Status by Drug Arrest History

Arrested respondents

"Clean" respondents

Drug

Current users

Might use

Never use

Ceased using

Current users

Might use

Never use

Ceased using

Cocaine

490

24

93

79

1037

197

469

121

Crack

110

37

317

37

151

91

1053

35

Heroin

209

32

263

61

237

91

1002

61

Bliss/Semeron

7

29

147

9

17

57

540

9

base

840

2782

Arrested/Clean ratios

Drug

Total Users

Might Use

Never Use

Given up

Cocaine

1.56

0.40

0.66

2.16

Crack

2.41

1.35

1.00

3.50

Heroin

2.92

1.16

0.87

3.31

Bliss/Semeron

1.36

1.69

0.90

3.31

Those who had been "busted" for drugs offences were significanty more likely to be using heroin or crack cocaine, and were 35% more likely to be willing to try crack cocaine (and 69% more likely to be willing to try an unknown (fictitous) drug) than users with clean records. Nearly 50% of crack users first tried the drug after being arrested for offences involving other drugs.